


Can I Call You?

by Set_Suna



Series: it takes a discord server - SBI & Co. IRL Fics [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Epilogue Fic, Family Dynamics, Fluff and Humor, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, No Beta We Die Like Wilbur in Skyblockle, ignoring your feelings be like, post-'a togetherness', sbi miss each other so much its crippling, some form of separation anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:41:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29725707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Set_Suna/pseuds/Set_Suna
Summary: WilburSoot9:23 PMphilphilphilphildid you get home okay?He realized he should try to seem less desperate and more like a concerned friend. He flicked his eyes across his screen, smiling when he sawPh1lzA is typing…Ph1lzA9:24 PMhey Wil yes I got home okay lolHe poised his hands over his keyboard again, confidence he had moments ago fading. It hadn’t even been a full day. He couldn’t deny how much he missed them already, but, it felt a bit pathetic to ask to call when it’d barely been five hours. Apparently, Phil could read his mind even from miles away, because his next message made Wil grin ear to ear.wanna talk for a bit?Wilbur answered him swiftly, moving his mouse to click the call button.
Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Series: it takes a discord server - SBI & Co. IRL Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2184753
Comments: 25
Kudos: 367
Collections: SBI Family Feels





	Can I Call You?

**Author's Note:**

> hey hey hey hey SBI fans I'm back on my bullshit!!! It's the epilogue to 'a togetherness' where they all go home, that parting none of us could stand. So if you haven't read that, you're probably fine, it'll still make enough sense to pull at the heart strings, I think, but reading it will make it hurt even more, I'm just sayin'-
> 
> But yeah, here's all the boys coming to terms with their new situations. Hope you like it! <3

Wilbur wasn’t sure how he felt at the moment. They’d seen Techno off at the airport last night, and though this parting went much more according to plan than the first, that didn’t make it any easier. Well, maybe it was a bit easier. Tommy was less upset than he was after the first attempt, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t anymore at peace with the inevitable. Phil would always be the most mature of them all, using his energy to comfort them when Wilbur knew he was sad, too. So, he guessed it was manageable. 

Still, that didn’t make his house feel any less lonely. 

He and Phil had helped Tommy move back this morning, since his parents would be returning tomorrow. They’d messed around and made fun the whole time, which Wilbur was thankful for. He’d be the first to admit he might have shed a tear or two when Tommy hugged him goodbye. It really did break his heart, pulling away from that house knowing Tommy was all alone in it. It took Phil ten minutes to convince him to not call him, that Tommy’d be fine on his own for a little while. He’d ditched his phone on the dashboard, but he couldn’t deny he’d been watching it dutifully, just in case he’d get any messages or phone calls.

He sent Phil off a few hours ago, receiving his third bittersweet hug in twenty four hours. He stood in his doorway, watching Phil’s car disappear deeper into the city. When he finally stepped back inside and closed the door, he was very aware how empty his house was. He had crept into his living room, the silence suddenly unnerving, and felt a strong wave of disappointment at seeing it empty. There was no one shuffling around his kitchen, no one lounging on a sofa with the TV on, no sound of conversation from other places in the house, no gremlin child running up to greet him with a hug that Wilbur was happy to give.

He’d sighed dejectedly, stepping forward and collapsing over one of the armrests to land face first in the cushions. He was 24 years old, well into his adult years, but the need to pout for a little while was too strong to ignore. 

Now, he’d dragged himself to his setup, sat in his chair staring at Discord like suddenly something would happen and make him feel any less miserable. None of the people he usually watched were streaming, and though Geoguesser seemed tempting for a moment, he decided against it. He didn’t think he’d do very well if he tried, tonight. He heaved a sigh, crossing his arms on his desk and resting his head there. 

He flipped onto his other cheek so he was staring at his bed rather than his currently useless second monitor. The string lights still hung over his bed, covering the painting he’d picked up from the side of the road. He could practically see himself standing on his pillows, Tommy next to him, as they slowly hung them up in silence. He remembered their soft glow when he’d helped Tommy decide what to get Niki for the SMP’s secret santa. He closed his eyes and smiled, remembering the door opening behind him and Techno barging in, hitting him with a throw pillow with pinpoint accuracy. 

His good mood faltered when reality crashed back in. He wouldn’t get any of that anymore. At least, not in person. Everything was so much different up close. Being apart again was the worst thing to happen to him all year. 

He opened his eyes, glancing up at his monitor. He shot up in his chair, filled with a spontaneous burst of energy. Phil’s name had appeared in his friends list: he was online. He fumbled for his mouse, clicking on their DMs. His hands flew to his keyboard and he began typing.

 **WilburSoot** _9:23 PM_

_phil_

_phil_

_phil_

_phil_

_did you get home okay?_

He realized he should try to seem less desperate and more like a concerned friend. He flicked his eyes across his screen, smiling when he saw _Ph1lzA is typing…_

 **Ph1lzA** _9:24 PM_

_hey Wil yes I got home okay lol_

He poised his hands over his keyboard again, confidence he had moments ago fading. It hadn’t even been a full day. He couldn’t deny how much he missed them already, but, it felt a bit pathetic to ask to call when it’d barely been five hours. Apparently, Phil could read his mind even from miles away, because his next message made Wil grin ear to ear.

_wanna talk for a bit?_

Wilbur answered him swiftly, moving his mouse to click the call button.

-

Phil was already exhausted when he sat down in his desk chair for the first time in nearly a month. He’d spent the better half of the afternoon once he’d gotten home hanging out with Kristin. It was good to be back. He was lucky Kristin was so understanding of his sporadic absence the whole month. Now that he was home for the foreseeable future, he had a lot to catch up on. 

He was glad to be home, don’t get him wrong, but he did acknowledge the vague disappointment in his chest. The last few weeks spent with Tommy, Wilbur, and Techno were, in a way, life changing. He’d settled into their weird little domestic paradise and was sad to see it go. He shared a lot of Wilbur’s sentiments, especially after leaving Tommy alone back at his house. He was worried that he’d stop reaching out, that he’d go back to keeping his problems to himself until they broke him. It was worrying, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. They’d do their best from their distance. Phil kept it firm in his mind that if it got serious, he would be the first to drop everything and drive to Tommy’s house to give his parents a firm talking to. Well, maybe second to Wilbur. He was closer, and would probably break speed limits to get there. 

He really didn’t expect to miss them so much. Their original meetup in August felt like years ago, but he remembered how he felt once that trip ended. He felt satisfied, happy with what they’d done and the time they’d spent together. This time, Phil felt like something was missing. Now that it was over and they’re normal lives were returning, it seemed unnatural. It was depressing, knowing that he wouldn’t be in the same room as the rest of them for a long time. At least, it should be a long time. He didn’t want things to go wrong and then have to see Tommy and Wil again so soon. He wanted it to be on good, exciting, natural terms. Well, he’d see Tommy and Wil more often, he thought, but they’d be missing a certain American that wouldn’t make it quite the same. 

Powering on his PC was a familiar motion, the sudden light making him wince a bit before his eyes adjusted. It didn’t take long for all his apps to open, and it took even less time for Wilbur to message him as soon as he appeared online on Discord. A small smile grew on his face as he opened his and Wilbur’s DMs. 

**WilburSoot** _9:23 PM_

_phil_

_phil_

_phil_

_phil_

_did you get home okay?_

He laughed at the string of messages, glad to see Wilbur wasn’t upset enough to not start conversation. He leaned back and typed his response. 

**Ph1lzA** _9:24 PM_

_hey Wil yes I got home okay lol_

_wanna talk for a bit?_

He could practically feel Wilbur’s hesitance as he sent his second message after a moment of nothing. He was too conscientious, he probably didn’t even think about how Phil could feel the same as he did. His assumptions were proved right as the call alert began ringing in his ears. He joined seconds after it began, barely prepared for Wilbur’s greeting. 

“Hi Phil!” Wilbur exclaimed with much more energy than Phil expected. 

“Hey, Wil,” he greeted, with significantly less energy.

“How was the ride home?” Wilbur questioned instantly. “How’s the wife?”

“The ride was fine, and Kristin is too, thank you for asking,” Phil answered patiently. He leaned back, stretching his arms above his head before making up his mind. He reached for his mouse, turning on his camera before asking, “How’re you holding up, mate?” 

Wilbur’s reluctant silence ended with a sigh and a loading screen before Phil could see his face. He looked tired, somehow, and a minimal amount of distressed. He tousled the front bit of his hair and sat back, frowning as he fiddled with something on his desk.

“I’m… okay, I guess,” he answered at last, refusing to look up. “It’s a lot quieter here, now. Lonelier.” 

“I bet,” Phil chuckled lightly. 

“I’ve been thinking about it all day,” Wilbur continued, moving from the thing on his desk to pushing around his mic, “calling him. Making sure things are okay. Has he messaged you at all?” 

Phil shook his head. “Nope, Tommy hasn’t sent me anything.” 

“Me neither,” Wilbur bit his lip. “I shouldn’t be this worried, right? I should just… believe that if Tommy needed something, he’d tell one of us, right?”

“I think we should, for now,” Phil comforted. “If we get radio silence for a day or two, then we can reach out.” 

“Okay,” Wil mumbled. He tugged a knee to his chest and rested his chin on it. He finally looked at his screen when he said, “It’s been eight hours and it’s still the worst thing in the world. I don’t know why I hate it so much.” 

“I’m not exactly pumped about it, either,” Phil sighed, doing his best to meet Wil’s eyes through the screen. “I miss it. I miss you all a ton.” 

Wilbur leaned on his armrest, and Phil could be certain he was imagining the same thing he was. Late nights on the couch, Tommy tucked against Wilbur’s side. The cozy moments between streaming and life outside the house. The aftermaths of breakdowns and their subsequent moments of healing. That strong and cohesive feeling of family was missing, and Phil thought he longed for it as much as Wilbur did. 

“Sorry about that,” Wil replied, a smile quirking the corner of his lips. “I bet your old heart can barely take it.” 

“Your young heart’s probably more sick about it than mine,” Phil countered, glad to see that smile return. 

He watched Wilbur’s eyes widen. His smile doubled in size as he sat up in his chair, scooting closer to his desk to quickly type up a message. 

“What’s up?” Phil asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

“Tommy just DMed me,” Wilbur told him happily. “Wants to chat. I’m adding him now.” 

Phil smiled softly, a feeling of warmth settling in his chest as the sound of another person joining the call pinged through his headphones. 

-

Tommy hadn’t moved for about three hours. And then he’d just gotten up to pee. Really, as soon as Phil and Wilbur had left, he’d felt how empty his house was like a thousand pound weight on his shoulders. He was pretty sure he felt worse than that Atlas guy, and apparently he carried the entire world on his shoulders. 

Simply put, he was pouting. He’d come upstairs to his room and collapsed on his bed as soon as it settled in that he was really alone. He left his bags packed and abandoned at the foot of his bed. He’d curled up on his side, shifting through all the apps on his phone for hours. He opened Discord first, found himself disappointed, and closed it. Once he finished cycling through other socials, he returned to Discord, only to repeat the cycle. He’d ignored all prospects of being productive and responsible and merged with his mattress. 

He missed it so much. He dropped his phone on his comforter and rolled over, staring at the black screen of his monitor. He missed being able to walk up to someone and be hugged without any need to ask for it. He missed the warmth and security of another person at his side. Closing his eyes, he could imagine what was happening in his room just earlier today. He remembered Wil sitting in his chair, spinning while Phil helped him get his setup just right. They’d joked and messed around the whole time, and Tommy hadn’t let the dread settle over him until they were standing at his door, hugging him goodbye and ensuring he’d be okay until tomorrow. He slowly opened his eyes. Apparently he wouldn’t be. 

He missed them. He missed Wilbur, Phil, and Techno. At about this time, they’d be lounging in Wilbur’s living room, cozying up for a night of movies and hot chocolate. He sighed, digging the butt of his hands into his eyes. His house lacked something the last month at Wilbur’s had an abundance of. Tommy knew what it was, but it felt sad to admit it. To say it lacked family out loud would make it unbearable. 

Right now, it wasn’t awful. He didn’t forget everything they’d told him. He could message or call them whenever he wanted, and they would do all they could to help him. That sentiment hadn’t changed. But opening up their DMs on Discord or sending a text would mean he’d fully accepted the situation. It’d be official that their time together was over. He’d have to let it be his reality and he’d have to keep on living. Knowing he was alone in this house didn’t help. It just made him feel all the more lonely. He couldn’t reach out and be sure someone was there to take his hand. Just a few hours ago he knew he would be taken care of, now it was all up to him again. 

Tommy didn’t know why he did it. He could’ve just shut his eyes and gone to sleep, no one was expecting anything from him, but he had some amount of hope in his heart that something would be waiting for him. The Discord logo appeared on his screen briefly before being replaced by his friend list. He blinked, rolling off his bed and scrambling into his chair as he registered what he saw. Wilbur and Phil were online. And god did he want to talk to them more than he wanted to sleep. 

His foot tapped restlessly against the floor as his PC turned on. As soon as Discord opened itself, he flew to his and Wilbur’s DMs. He paused, his fingertips resting on his keyboard. That familiar thought crossed his mind, if he was going to be annoying them. He almost pulled away, almost turned off his monitor and went right back to bed, but a few moments of staring at him and Wilbur’s conversations was enough to convince him to start typing. He _wasn’t_ bothering them. They _liked_ his company. Fuck the little part of his brain that told him otherwise.

 **TommyInnit** _9:43 PM_

_hey Wil_

_you up to talk for a bit?_

The following silence was suffocating. He waited anxiously, only to feel all the tension leave his body in a second. Wilbur had added him to a call with him and Phil, and he had his answer. He settled his headphones over his ears and clicked the join button. 

“Tommy!” Wilbur exclaimed in his ears, followed by a laugh and a milder, “Hey, Tommy.” from Phil. 

He watched as their facecams loaded up, and felt an unexpected hesitance to turn on his own. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair in a copied motion. It was fine. If anything, they’d be glad to see his face and know he was okay. For better or for worse, Tommy turned on his camera. 

“Hey, guys,” he greeted, more lukewarm than he intended. 

Wil perked up instantly, seeing him, making his face flush slightly. Phil didn’t change much, just smiled a bit wider and relaxed in his chair. Hearing the tone of his voice, though, he didn’t miss the crease in Wilburs forehead or Phil’s small frown before they returned to normal. Wil fell back in his chair, messing with the bottom part of his mic. 

“How’ve you been, Toms?” he asked. “Settled back in?”

Tommy pointedly didn’t look at his still packed bag on the floor. “Sort of, I mean… it hasn’t even been a day yet. It’s still weird.” 

“It is definitely weird,” Phil agreed. 

“Really weird,” Wilbur finished quietly. 

“I feel like I should be on your couch right now,” Tommy laughed slightly, “not… staring at you through a screen.” 

His voice had cracked. Why did his voice have to crack? If he didn’t feel like crying before, he did now. He’d put his emotions on mute all day but now, in a call staring at Phil and Wilbur on his screen, reality was snapping back in. Life couldn’t always be like this Christmas. That was a dream so sweet Tommy didn’t want to wake up. This was real. Their separation was real. 

He couldn’t stand it, the way Wilbur’s expression melted, the gentle “Oh, Tommy…” that escaped his lips, the way Phil sat up in his chair, concerned. He wasn’t a child. He shouldn’t be so upset over this. Phil and Wilbur weren’t on the verge of tears because their family had been split apart. He exhaled shakily, shoving his palms in his eyes and bringing his knees to his chest. 

“Talk to us, mate,” Phil prompted gently. 

“It didn’t really hit me until now, that it’s actually over,” Tommy started, doing his best to keep his voice even. He chuckled, shaking his head before hiding his face behind his knees. “I haven’t unpacked yet, if I’m being honest. I’ve kind of just been ignoring it, cause-cause it means it’d be real, y’know? I won’t walk out my door and see you guys waiting there. It’s just me.” He took a moment to breathe, realizing he hadn’t done it in a while. He squeezed his knees a bit tighter and mumbled, “I miss you guys. A lot.” 

This was the moment where Wilbur would hug him, or Phil would wrap an arm around his shoulders, or Techno would let him lean into his side. Where all of his worries and troubles would melt away in seconds because he felt safe and loved and cared for. He’d gotten so used to the touch that not feeling it now felt worse than anything. He sucked in a breath, hating the tears that fell from his eyes. 

“Tommy, Tommy, darling, can you look at me?” Wilbur’s voice asked softly, in that tone that Tommy could never say no to. 

He did as he was asked, wiping the tears from his eyes and glancing up. Wilbur had leaned closer to his camera, as if it let him actually close any distance between them. He smiled warmly, and Tommy could practically feel the hand in his hair. 

“It’s alright, Toms, you’re okay,” Wilbur comforted slowly. He forced himself to breathe, taking in Wilbur’s words completely and as they were. “We miss you, too. I miss you so much, but, here we are. It’s not like it was yesterday, you’re right, but we’re still here. I’m right here talking to you, alright? I love you, and I miss you, and I wish I could give you a hug, but the best I can do right now is sit here and talk to you. I’m sorry, Tommy.” 

“We’ll always be here anytime you need anything,” Phil added softly. “It sucks that we can’t be there, and I’m sorry, but we’ll do all we can from here. So don’t hesitate to message or call us whenever, okay?” 

“Yeah,” Tommy exhaled, nodding. He wiped at his eyes one last time and rested his chin on his knees. “Thanks, guys.” He matched the smiles flashed to him through his screen, feeling worlds better, and asked, “D’you think Techno’s home yet?” 

-

Techno had gotten home approximately half an hour ago. Since he’d pushed back his flight, he’d gotten a considerably worse ride home. This trip had an overnight stop, which was way more stress inducing than the regular eleven hour trip. He had two planes to worry about catching instead of one, which was objectively worse. He’d rather sleep ten hours on the flight home then stay the night in the airport, but he’d run out of options. So, he resigned himself to sleeping exclusively on his two plane rides and not at all during the time in between. It left him with a lot of time to think. And a lot of mildly concerned texts from his family and Phil, and by extension Wilbur and Tommy. 

If Techno was good at anything, it was overanalyzing. He could feel the distance between himself and Brighton once his plane had landed at its first stop. It was official. His trip was ending. The time spent with Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy would only be fond memories now, not his warm reality. He’d tightened his grip on his carry on and forced himself to move from the terminal. Standing still wasn’t any better than running away. 

Now that it was past, he didn’t regret skipping his flight the first time. He’d gotten to spend another week with his friends. He got to make sure that Tommy was really going to be okay once he was gone. It still hurt, turning around and leaving them behind to walk into the airport, his final destination. Techno still felt it, all the way back in California and so far from the snow and cold and the feeling of home he’d come to associate with Wilbur’s house. 

After his dad had picked him up, thoroughly chided his decisions, and taken him home, he had no energy for anything except for collapsing on his bed. Even that felt strange, the bed he’d slept in for most of his life. He sighed, burying his face in his pillow. What had his friends done to him? They’d turned him soft. 

He lifted his head, hearing the soft huff of a dog as he watched his cracked door open slightly further. As if to answer his unasked question, Floof jumped onto his bed seconds later. He wheezed as Floof crawled across his back, aiming to sniff his face with high intensity. He sat up for the first time in thirty minutes, lifting the small dog away from his face to stare him in the eyes. 

“Your ploy has worked,” he said. “What do you want from me, evil mastermind?”

His response was a lick to his nose, which seemed to be answer enough. 

He sat Floof down as he saw something light up in the corner of his eye. His phone. He’d cleared away his notifications, even if he left his messages from Phil unanswered, so this was new. One hand scratched behind Floof’s ears as he picked up his phone. His hand froze in motion as he read the alert.

 **TommyInnit** _2:04 PM_

_ey dickhead, you home yet?_

Well. Now was a better time than any. Time to accept that he missed his friends. More than he was willing to admit. 

**Technoblade** _2:06 PM_

_yeah_

_why?_

The response was something close to what he expected. 

**TommyInnit** _2:06 PM_

_I’m adding you to our call_

_get in here_

_you don’t have a choice_

He sighed, scooping Floof up with one hand and typing with the other.

 **Technoblade** _2:07 PM_

_let me get on pc_

He gently nudged Floof out the door before closing it behind him. He took the two strides to his desk and dropped in his chair, listening as his PC came to life. It’d been a long time since he’d last sat in this chair. This really felt foreign, compared to anything else. Still, it felt normal, and eased his racing heart a little.

It didn’t make sense, thinking logically. He shouldn’t be nervous about hopping in a call with three of his closest friends. But he was. Watching his main monitor turn on felt like watching your teacher hang up the phone and announce to the class you were wanted in the office. Like you were waiting for the ball to drop, for something bad to happen. 

Techno knew what he was anticipating. He was waiting for when he let himself feel the entirety of how much he missed them. He knew he’d be feeling it soon. 

As Discord opened on his screen, he saw he was already added to their new call. He clicked on the DM and… stared. He took a deep breath. Nothing to fear. Just your friends and how much you wish you weren’t across the world from them. 

He joined the call. Three facecams loaded on his screen, none of which he had mentally prepared himself to see. As they erupted into sound, it sunk in how far away they really were now. 

“There he is!” Wilbur exclaimed at the same time Tommy shouted, “Techno!” 

“Hey mate,” Phil greeted last, sounding sympathetic. 

He blinked, and after a moment responded eloquently, “Hi.” 

Tommy cackled as Wilbur asked, “Tired there, huh, Techno?” 

“You are not the one experiencing jet lag,” Techno answered, rubbing a hand down his face as he moved his mouse. 

When his camera appeared alongside the others, he couldn’t help but smile a bit at seeing their faces light up. Seeing all the different settings was jarring. He felt like they should be closer, like they should be in the same room, like he could walk behind Wilbur’s couch and ruffle Tommy’s hair as he passed. Knowing he was in his desk chair, that he was back in the U.S. while they all remained in Britain felt like an unnatural phenomenon. 

“How was the overnight stop?” Phil questioned like he already knew the answer. 

Techno confirmed it. “Awful. Being comfortable in an airport is impossible.” 

“I don’t think you’d sleep even if you were drop dead tired,” Wilbur reasoned. 

“Probably not,” Techno agreed, resting his chin on his hand. He sighed, staring down at his keyboard. “Had a lot to think about, anyways.” 

Apparently, the others did, too. The brief silence between them felt knowing, like they understood what he meant exactly. When he brought himself to look at his monitor, he saw they were all wearing the same reluctant expression. Life was going back to normal, and as much as he clung to normal, he wanted to let this one go. 

“Well, sitting here and pouting about it sucks,” Tommy grumbled, sitting up and copying Techno’s position. “So spill it. It’s your turn to vent, Tech.” 

Techno raised an eyebrow, but no one said anything. He missed the other emotional talks of the night, it seemed. Phil, Wilbur, Tommy waited expectantly, acting like this wasn’t a weird situation at all. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. 

“Alright,” he gave in. He tilted his head and stared at the wall, or anywhere besides his monitor. Emotions were always tough, and he hadn’t been trying too hard to understand them until recently. He admitted haltingly, “When I landed at the first stop of my flight, it, uh, made me realize how-how far apart we really are. And it just… y’know, sucks. You guys are so close together, but I’m all the way across the world. I can’t come over and visit whenever I want, that’s nowhere near plausible. It’s-It’s different.” 

He paused. His chest hurt, but not in the anxiety attack way. He was breathing just fine, he wasn’t panicking. He was just… upset. His emotions were straining against their bars, and they wanted out. He took an unsteady breath.

“I-I miss you guys, is what I’m getting at,” he said quickly, voice tight. “And being stuck behind a screen is actually the worst after--yeah.” 

And he’d made it real. He’d hammered the final nail in the coffin. He watched Tommy slouch a little bit more. He watched as Wilbur’s encouraging smile quickly turned pained. He watched as Phil leaned forward, resting his chin on laced fingers. 

“The feeling’s universal, huh?” Techno mumbled, shoving a fist against his cheek. 

“Yep,” Tommy replied, just as dull. 

“We all hate it, hooray,” Wil grumbled. 

Techno looked up. He found that the others had, too. Tommy’s lips quirked in a poorly suppressed smile, and they all burst into laughter. It was ridiculous. Of course they all felt the exact same way. They’d spent the same days together under the same roof. The late nights and early mornings and cozy afternoons. They practically knew each other like the back of their own hands, even more so than before. How many times had they said they were family? Why wouldn’t you miss your family once you were apart? They’d talked about it more times than Techno could count. That no matter how far from each other they were, they’d still be family. 

“Man, this is dumb,” Tommy laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. 

“It’s _so_ dumb,” Wilbur agreed, giggling a few more times. 

“We’re hypocrites. We are total hypocrites,” Phil stated with another laugh. 

“I don’t know what I expected from us,” Techno chuckled, rubbing at his eyes. 

“Maybe a bit more than this?” Phil suggested. 

“Yeah, a bit more,” Tommy conceded. 

Wil blew out a breath. He cautiously looked up at his camera. “So… we’re okay?” 

Quiet. Techno scanned his eyes across his screen. Wil was smiling uneasily. Tommy’s grin was unabashed and unable to be hidden. Phil looked content, happy to see them laughing. And Techno… Techno felt okay. The ache in his chest had faded, along with the odd feeling of dread he’d felt initially. That warm feeling he’d been forced to learn the name of replaced it. The feeling of love that came with knowing you were in the presence of family. 

“Yeah,” Tommy was the one to answer, “yeah we’re okay.” 

Techno sighed, pushing his chair back to rest his head in his arms. They’d be alright, he could be sure of that now. With their worries washed away and all their emotions off their chests, Techno felt his exhaustion settling back in. As he felt his eyelids start to droop, Phil’s voice in his ears stopped them. 

“You good there, Techno?” he asked, and Techno pushed himself into a sitting position. 

“‘M fine. Fighting sleep is turning out to be the hardest thing to do today,” he complained in response, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. 

“Then go to bed,” Tommy said like it was obvious. 

“It’s not even 2:30,” Techno countered. “Different time zones again, Toms.” 

“Oh. Right.” 

“It’s probably fine. Might as well fix my sleep schedule while I’m here,” he huffed, stretching his arms above his head. “And I’m making it you guys’ problem. Keep me awake for a few hours.” 

“Okay. Get on Terraria. Right now,” Tommy ordered more than suggested, immediately shuffling to start up the game. 

“Oh, hell yes,” Wilbur agreed, jumping to action. 

“Might as well knock out a few bosses while we’re all here, ey?” Phil shrugged. 

“You have no chance without me and my literal ability to fly,” Techno declared, opening Steam moments later. 

“Why did _you_ have to be the one that got the flying carpet, it’s so unfair,” Tommy grumbled.

“Techno’s just built different, Tommy, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Wilbur shot him down. 

“Kneel before your god, Tommy,” Techno laughed. 

“Absolutely fuckin’ not,” Tommy spat. “I’d sub to fuckin’ KSI before I did that.” 

The call erupted into laughter, leaving Techno feeling lighter and happier than he was before. His family would be fine. They found home in each other, not one single place. They talked for hours, only kind of taking the game seriously. They stopped when it became clear that if they didn’t, Tommy was going to fall asleep at his desk. They said their goodbyes soon after, and Techno was alone once again. He stood from his chair, and immediately fell onto his bed. He was asleep in minutes, and he didn’t worry about waking up and remembering that his friends were all the way around the globe, because they were just one call away.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you guys for following this little plot I've made! After I post this, I'm gonna mess around with my sbi family feels series and turn it into a collection, just cause I think it makes more sense like that. So if you have it bookmarked, keep an eye out for the collection! I'm gonna group my fics differently in little series, so you can bookmark specifically what you come to my account for! And if that's SBI, grocery au, Pogtopia Breakdown, or just everything, I appreciate you so very much! I hope you have a lovely day!
> 
> Edit: Fics are reorganized! You can bookmark the series this fic is under (it takes a discord server) to see whenever I post more in this funky little universe of mine :D
> 
> I appreciate any and all comments/kudos/bookmarks you choose to leave! 
> 
> You can follow my [tumblr](https://quibbels.tumblr.com/) for fic updates and my [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/quiblii) to see more stuff from me!


End file.
